A Closer Look

The overall look of the Skyphone could be described as retro. It does not look as good as other offerings, which try to imitate the feel of cell phones. You will not find a cellular device looking like the Skyphone anywhere on the market these days. The back is clear, only features a speaker and a small label with the device model & serial number.


To the left of the display you will find two buttons, one of which turns on the microphone, while the other can be used to adjust the volume during a call. A miniUSB connector on the bottom of the Skyphone is used to charge the device. This makes it perfectly portable and you should be able to use it with your notebook, if you are willing to live with the large USB dongle.


Speaking of which, the provided dongle is specifically set to link with the phone. This means that you will have to RMA everything if either the phone or the dongle cease to function properly. Other manufacturers have decided to use genuine Bluetooth or WiFi to connect the phone to the PC or network.


The phone desktop stand does ship with the phone, but comes in a seperate package. It is made of clear plastic and looks more like something you would use for marketing purposes instead of home use. The front of the stand features a large AirLive logo, while the rear can hold a cardboard piece. Once the phone is placed in it, it becomes apparent that the Skyphone-1000 does not really fit well inside the stand. It would have been great to see a real desktop stand with charging capability instead.